USUAL WORKING DAYS(s)
Of MC VP EXCHANGE DEVELOPMENT
станція метро «ПОЗНЯКИ»
Grygorenka ave. 1b app. 55
Kyiv, 02068
Ukraine
November Fall Day
9:45
Alarm clock on my mobile making me open my eyes. I like Nokia but hate the alarm clock as I think everybody does in the
mornings. 15 min is more than enough for me to do pre-working stuff – i.e. going to the bathroom. After doing all the
necessary things there I move to the kitchen and make myself a cup of green tea. As usually it is cold autumn weather
behind the window and thick fog in which I can hardly see a neighbouring building. With a cup in my hand I go to central
office room where all the global and strategic thoughts are finding their way to be implemented. Almost all…J
So near 10 a.m. my working day starts with turning on my PC or just monitor if I left something to be downloaded from the
web. Unlimited and fast internet is a cool thing. J
Oh, one missing thing, forgot to take on my clothes.J So while I’m doing that, PC is finishing startup and see all the
icons on my desktop.
10:10
I’m already settled on my working place in the far corner of our office room. To the right on the wall there’s a Polish
flag. I didn’t think about this earlier but, I think, it symbolizes our strong cooperation in exchange area with Poland,
especially when on the opposite wall I see a Turkish flag. No quality issues to be discussed now. Please…
Checking the e-mails is the first thing I usually do at the beginning of my working day. For me it’s very interesting to
know what and happened during the night time in huge AIESEC world while I’ve been watching some cool or almost cool
nightmares. J
Usually out of 50 new messages – 20 unnecessary and useless spams. It takes you only to look at the subject to push
‘Delete’ button and half of them are coming from the best performing AIESEC country. Guess which…J
I’m looking through other 20 to be aware what’s happening in the world. So only 10 left, half of them are personal
connected and almost connected with my MC responsibilities and other 5 have links to interesting documents which you think
can be really useful for you personally and professionally. So definitely you need to have it on your own hard drive.
While answering to personal letters and writing ones that you need to those files are being downloaded. Later most of that
documents, which are not of urgent importance, are moved to “to sort” folder. Some time later they will be sorted and may
be read… Some time… I think it’s a disease definitely.J
While doing all that stuff and during whole day you’re keeping on discussing with your working colleagues and, definitely,
your friends already, who are working for the same goal but in different areas, different things – from “why LCs are always
doing things not in the way the should” and “where should we get more money” to “how the things would have changed in my
life if I hadn’t taken this opportunity, i.e. applying for MC”.
Of course, it’s “mission impossible” to list now all the topics but I can assure you that those discussions are really
important in MC work in professional way and personally also. Thanks to them I’m learning and participate in other people’s
learning. At least one principle of @XP I’ve already mentioned.J
12:00 (or something close to it)
Second constant thing which I always do is linking to my favourite web-site. And I’m sure you know this web address.J
‘Manage forms’ in “Exchange Menu” is the most clickable by me as during the day I always check if at least one form since
the last day was matched or realized. And when this data appears on the screen, I’m ‘happy as elephant’ (I think, there’s
no such expression in English but it’s the way I feel, especially if it’s a Ukrainian TN form.J). All this info are moved
to special excel files so in 5 years people will know who went where in 2005.J But besides this I feel good when some LCVPs
are telling me that one more form is matched and I reply in 90% cases: “I know. Good job. Keep the tempo.”
Also almost a must is to check in XMI analyzer how is Russian Federation doing and ‘be on the 7th sky’ seeing that they
remain behind you by more than 50 exchanges. No politics, only statistics.J
Sometimes you get letter or e-mail about international facilitation opportunities or just international conferences you
can attend. And I’m happy that sometimes such things are happening with me like going abroad to be a faci or a delegate on
the international conference. For me, conferences are one of the main sources of motivation. New friends, new experience,
new contacts, new swear words that you learn from your foreign amigos. Such things really make a difference in your life
especially when drinking nights turn out into good friendship and long talks into realized exchanges. It’s always easier to
deal with people who you personally know.
Besides, I can assure you that all @ers are fetishists including me.J Having one more visa in your passport and one more
badge especially from the international conference… That’s fucking cool!!!
14:00 (or something close to it)
Time for lunch. Wow!!! J
Going to the fridge and looking what is there, trying to find something new which wasn’t on its shelves yesterday.
One thing I must tell you – to have a good cook in MC team is really COOL. And we do have. Soups and meals from simple
products seem really tasty and they are so. Besides after more than half a year of MC term I can consider myself a master
of salads. Also I’m good at peeling potatoes and washing dishes, but that’s completely another story…J
15:00 (or something close to it)
So back to work. Familiar screen and wallpaper on desktop.
It’s time to make my session for national conference. 240 people – wow! Need to be best and excellent in preparation and
later in delivery so people can really take something out of it.
Half an hour of searching in your ‘AIESEC folder’, another - on communities and also gathering thoughts from bright heads
of another MC members.
You can consider yourself very efficient if you will manage to do it in an hour. Usually it takes more. But when you’ve
done it you feel self-satisfied, really.J
While doing all that stuff from time to time you’re talking with @ers on ICQ and MSN mostly giving advices or solving some
problems which have a really bad habit to appear daily in different part of Ukraine.
To limit your communication with everybody willing to do that with you, you usually have ‘invisible’ status in ICQ and set
yourself ‘busy’ in MSN.
Besides it’s time to make new newsletter, data collection usually takes few hours. To make it look a nice one takes one
hour or more. Huge thanks to Adobe Acrobat 7.0 for an easy converting into .pdf. Statistics is a nice thing, positive one
is even better.
Also in the middle of the day you remember after looking at your tasks till next MC Team Days that it’s time to revise
strategies and goals for this year as it runs to its end. Strategic thinking is a nice thing you gain in MC but even better
if you can turn them into action.
Going from strategies and though into action you remember that you need to call to LCPs to find out if they do spring
PBOXes. If they don’t, then ask why and listen to things not really connected with topic. But I completely understand them
as 2 years was at the same place and know what the main reasons are. But it’s your job to annoy people sometimes.J
19:00
Your official working hours are over and you can watch some TV programs, of course if you have TV set. We do now. J So
some Russian serials about some pretty nannies and “not pretty” assistants of directors...
Some dinner and cooking which takes lots of time… Some beer after going to the shop in neighbourhood…
Now you have the time to chat in MSN and ICQ with anyone you want.
You can start searching your favourite mp3 music in internet, watch some video or play PC game.
Also you go to meet with your old friend who’s also working in Kyiv now or who accidentally came and will be happy to
drink beer with you this evening somewhere in the city centre. Or this friend(s) come to your flat (not office after
19:00J) and you relax a bit in…
Or you’re welcomed on some party in some far city district. In that case the main thing is to be back by 10:00 next day.
And also after 19:00 you continue your work as you act in different way. That’s coz you are committed to this cool
organization, no way coz of some close deadlines and the fact that your MCP will kick your ass… NO.J
23:00-00:00 (of something far or even further from it)
Going to sleep… Hopefully…
P.S. Besides that all we have a really picturesque landscapes right out of the window glass. And sometimes I’m really
lucky to catch the sun disappearing behind the buildings of this beautiful city. And when looking beyond the horizon you
think that you definitely don’t regret about single second of being on that leadership position.
ng atmosphere you created!
